Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1 Episode 5: Lightning Round
by Mutrox
Summary: A sudden energy surge in the dead of night sparks a deadly race to control a powerful dormant Sailor Scout. Zoisite and its squadron of Negaverse assault drones prowl the midnight city, searching for the Scout. The active Scouts race through the metropolis. Amid the chaos, Lightstorm and the new Scout must join forces to survive a night in the City of Eyes.
1. The Starting Shot

The night air hummed with energy of the city. Wind swept through the secluded street, kicking up some loose papers. The smell of dust after rain hung in the air. Sirens wailed in the distance, on their way to a crime long since committed. A lone figure walked down the deserted street, striding with purpose toward her destination. She adjusted the toothpick in her mouth, relishing the taste.

"Hey," a voice called. "Got the time?"

The girl turned. Hidden in the shadows stood a male figure, leaning casually against the wall.

"That depends. You out past your bedtime?" the girl replied coolly.

The man chuckled. "You've got a big mouth." More figures appeared out of the darkness. The girl saw weapons in their hands. "We'll save it for last."

The girl clenched her fists and bit down on the toothpick. "Sounds fun. Kicking your asses will be a nice warm-down." The thugs charged her, weapons raised.

The girl stepped to the side, striking the radial nerve of the first thug. The knife flew from his hand. She followed with a punch to the Vagus nerve, dropping him like a stone.

The second and third thugs stepped around him. The girl kicked the knee of one and lunged into the other. In the blink of an eye she wrenched away the steel bat he wielded and cracked his skull with it. She spun to face the others.

Faces shattered. Teeth flew. Bones broke. Blood spilled.

Amid the tornado of flesh and steel, a feral roar tore from the girl's throat as she beat down her attackers. Energy began to crackle around her. Before he embraced oblivion, one of the dying thugs cracked open his eyelid for the final time. In his final moment, he beheld a brilliant crescent symbol blazing on the girl's forehead.

The moon shone through the window into the dark room. Serena's quiet snoring broke the silence as she slept. A few feet away, Luna sat in front of Serena's open laptop, her unblinking eyes searching. Normally she would be asleep, but tonight she couldn't rest.

The actions of the Sailor Scouts had not gone unnoticed by the people of the city. Rumors were spreading though online forums, whispers of costumed vigilantes with extraordinary powers fighting unimaginable horrors. There were even a few poor-quality videos on Youtube of the Sailor Scouts taking on monsters with their powers. Thankfully, Moon Kingdom Deceptors worked through all mediums of representation, including photographs and videos, so the Ground States of the Scouts were safe from identification.

Public opinion of the Scouts appeared surprisingly positive. Those that believed they existed seemed grateful for protection against the monsters. Skeptics claimed that the whole thing was just a hoax, with explanations ranging from a well-made online amateur film production to a new marketing scheme by some corporation. A few that did believe in the Scouts loudly proclaimed that they were dangerous and should turn themselves in to the city police. Fortunately, the good deeds of the Scouts hadn't caused too many of these voices, and so they were mostly ignored.

Luna typed in another query into the search engine, trying to ignore the crumbs and sticky residue on Serena's keyboard. She wished Serena would be a bit neater, although she had to admit the messy keyboard was more pleasant than the collection of poorly-written fanfic she had found in the Documents. It seemed Serena was now writing fanfiction about herself and Tuxedo Mask getting together, which Luna had made the mistake of clicking on and reading part of.

Suddenly Luna's head jerked back, her jaws opening in a silent scream. Every sense in her body blazed with energy, burning her from the inside out. In a moment it had passed, and the world was silent once more.

"Serena!" Luna hissed urgently, jumping on the sleeping girl.

"Huh? What? What's going on?" Serena asked tiredly.

"There's a Sailor Scout in danger! We have to get to her before the Negaverse finds her!"

In less than a minute, Serena was out the door and running through the shadows as fast as she could. Her body flashed with energy as she transformed into Sailor Moon. As they ran, ever careful to avoid being seen, Luna sent out a call to the other Sailor Scouts on her communication collar. Across town, Amy stopped her midnight studying session and sprinted out of her condo. At the temple, Raye ceased meditating and transformed into Sailor Mars, rushing out to join the fight. Luna only hoped she had alerted them in time. Jason's phone wasn't ringing.

Jason Shepard stood on a rooftop, staring down into the brightly-lit city. He checked his new, improved pocket scanner. Finding no readings, he put it away and went back to studying the city.

Perhaps ironically, Jason had never liked well-lit environments. He preferred darkness and shadows, despite what one would have expected back in his glory days. Brightly-lit environments may have looked impressive to newcomers, but the light eliminated many potential dark places to conceal oneself. Darkness was peaceful, and it was one of the very few things that brought Jason into a tranquil state of no emotion, a state he strived to stay in whenever he could.

A sharp beep interrupted his thoughts. He glanced at the scanner. An energy spike was erupting in the city. He entered a command. The scanner showed him where it was it. Fortunately it wasn't far away. Jason quietly noted the search pattern he had been using tonight and filed it away for future use.

He considered his options. His motorcycle was stashed 5 blocks west in an alley, and Zoisite could be there at any moment. Seeing no alternative, Jason began calculating. He had been hoping to avoid this move. Doing so increased chances of being spotted by civilians, and the Scouts didn't need any more public exposure. But an innocent life could end if he took the time to get to his motorcycle.

Checking to make sure the upgrades in his grapple gauntlets were functioning, Jason walked back, ran toward the edge of the building with the speed of an Olympic runner, and jumped out into the air over the city.

Extending an arm, he fired a gauntlet. The specialized metal tip formed itself into a claw in mid-flight, latching onto a surface. Jason swung out over the city, retracting the microcable and firing another. His momentum carried him forward as he swung gracefully through the skyline. Ignoring how ridiculous he must look, he rushed into the city in search of his target.

Zoisite's female body turned over, moaning in her sleep. The male body pulled the blankets up slightly, feeling the cold.

After getting beaten by the very Sailor Scout it had been charged with killing, Zoisite decided not to stay in the Negaverse, lest Queen Beryl demand a report. Instead, it had returned to a Negaverse safe house hidden in the human city. But something wasn't right. Somehow sleeping in the human realm felt wrong, and it had taken most of the day for Zoisite to properly fall asleep. Now it was dreaming the dark dreams that only creatures of the Negaverse possessed, dreams of glorious death and destruction, and the abolition of all good in all reality.

A sharp noise interrupted its rest. Roused from his sleep, the male body dragged himself out of bed and stumbled over to a small table where the scanner was. He eyes were blurry and filled with dried tears, but he discerned that the scanner was displaying the general area where the energy spike had come from. It was the opposite side of the city. He grinned.

He awoke the female body, tearing back the blankets with one pull. Together they prepared for battle, strapping on equipment and standard Negaverse camouflage. The female body shoved a pack of Negaverse ordinance beacons into her pocket. Zoisite had stolen the beacons from an armory before returning to the human world.

2 minutes later, Zoisite soared over the city toward the spike, relishing the feel of wind in its hair. The Scouts and their idiotic friends had beaten it before, but not again. This time it was prepared. This time the Scouts would learn to fear its name. The dormant Scout had no idea what was coming for her. Blood would be spilled this night.


	2. Kindred Spirits

Jason swung onto the rooftop, landing perfectly. He pulled out his scanner and checked. The energy spike had subsided, but he was definitely close. He dashed across the rooftop, running to the edge of the tall building.

In the alley below, he beheld a lone figure walking alone. As he watched, the girl effortlessly vaulted over a dumpster and kept going. Jason increased the intensity of his scanner. There was no doubt: this was his target.

He dropped down into the dark alley using his grapple gauntlets, taking care to make noise as he landed. The girl turned around to face him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Right now I'm the only thing standing between you and an unpleasant demise."

"What are you, some kind of superhero?"

"That's a matter of opinion. But your life is in danger and I'm the only one who can help you."

"Thanks, but I don't trust guys dressed like ninjas in dark alleys."

This was going nowhere. Jason could practically feel Zoisite approaching. He decided to switch tactics. "This armor protects me during my alliance with the Sailor Scouts, and you happen to be one of them."

"The Sailor Scouts? You mean those weird vigilantes that have been running around the city?"

"Yes. You yourself are a dormant Sailor Scout, and a pair of assassins has been sent to kill you before you activate."

The girl thought it over. "You got a way to back that up?"

Jason walked up to her, careful to keep his gait calm and nonthreatening. The girl tensed but did not back away. Jason held out the scanner to her, palm up. "This scanner shows energy fluctuations emanating from your body. These fluctuations aren't present in normal humans, but they do exist in dormant Sailor Scouts. If you don't believe me, check the readings for yourself." After a moment that felt like an eternity, the girl cautiously took the device.

The girl turned the scanner in her hand, inspecting it suspiciously. She inspected the display. The readings were unmistakable. "What the hell…"

"I know this is hard to accept, and you have a lot of questions. But we don't have much time. Come with me, and I can keep you safe. All of your questions will be answered, and then you'll be free to do whatever you want."

The girl considered. She glanced at the scanner again. The readings remained unchanged. She mulled it over. After a long moment, she tossed the scanner back to Jason. "You got a name?"

"Jason."

"Cool. I'm Lita."

"Well Lita, we need to get you to a safe place before the assassins find us."

"Got somewhere in mind?"

Jason gestured toward the end of the alley. Lita started walking with him. "We need to reach the Sailor Scouts' base of operations. There you'll be given a device that lets you access your powers. Until then, you need to wear this." He handed Lita something that looked like a small silver bracelet.

"Thanks but I'm not really into jewelry."

"That device will hide your energy fluctuations. If you want to make it through this night alive, we need to make you as invisible as possible." Lita put the bracelet on. "Your energy is now hidden, but it's not perfect. Keep control, and don't let yourself experience strong emotions."

Lita adjusted the bracelet. "I'll be fine as long as I don't have to hit anything."

"If we get there undetected, you won't have to."

"Lead the way."

The two broke into a run, dashing away into the night, not noticing the movement in the sky.


	3. The Players

Sailor Moon navigated through the darkness, making more noise than Luna would have liked. Irritated, she made a mental note to have Jason teach Serena about stealth. And the bastard still wasn't answering his phone.

"Do you know where you're going?" Serena asked, struggling to keep up with Luna.

"I know the general area where the Scout was, but she probably moved by now. We need to coordinate with the others and find her before Zoisite does."

"Do you need help?" A familiar voice called. Serena turned.

Leaning against a street lamp was Tuxedo Mask. The night wind blew his cape slightly, beautifully complimenting his dashing smile. Serena could feel herself getting breathless. "I… I…"

"A dormant Sailor Scout put out an energy surge not 10 minutes ago," Luna informed him, taking charge. "We must find her before the Negaverse does."

Tuxedo Mask nodded. "Then we haven't a moment to lose." He stood up straight. "Come, Sailor Moon! Let us away before an innocent life is lost!" With a graceful move he broke into a run in the direction Serena and Luna had been running. Luna bounded ahead to keep up with him. Serena gazed after him rapturously, before she remembered to follow.

###

Amy dashed across the street as fast as she could. She got to cover and crouched down. After a moment, she leaned out and scanned the area with her visor. She had timed it perfectly: no one had seen her.

Looking around, she spotted a ladder leading to the roof of a nearby building. Scanning it for structural weaknesses, she grabbed on and climbed to the top. Once above the street, she looked toward the heart of the city and began scanning.

The visor was equipped with a multitude of sensors, including night vision, thermal vision, motion tracking, and zoom function, among other things. As her gaze swept across the landscape, she mentally activated every feature on the device. There was no trace of a dormant Sailor Scout.

Movement in the sky caught her attention. She dropped behind cover and zoomed in.

It was Zoisite, or one of Zoisite's bodies. His altitude and speed rendered him practically invisible to the naked eye, but he clearly showed up on Amy's HUD. As Amy watched, he slowed to a halt and reached into a satchel slung over his shoulder. From within the bag he drew a handful of small devices Amy's visor failed to identify. Zoisite drew his arm back and threw the devices into the sky. With small bursts of gamma radiation, the devices vanished and were replaced by drones.

These drones were different from the ones the Scouts had fought before. They were humanoid in appearance, but they were sleeker, faster than before. Zoisite gave them orders, and the drones turned and flew away into the city, blurs against the skyline.

Zoisite turned, looking down on the city. Amy sank deeper into cover. Zoisite didn't appear to be using any technology that might reveal her position, but she couldn't be sure. Zoisite coolly eyed the city below him. At one point he appeared to look straight into Amy's eyes. Amy felt her heart rate spike and her body grow cold.

After a long moment, Zoisite looked away, smiling cruelly to himself. He flew away into the city, leaving nothing but a sense of dread.

Standing up, Amy ran toward the edge of the building. A blast of ice shot from her hand, crystallizing into a bridge between buildings. Her feet pounded on the ice as she ran. She called up her visor, contacting everyone and informing them of the developments.

###

"Got it, Merc." Raye put away her phone and continued running down the street.

Sailor Mars sped through the nigh-deserted urban area, not caring who saw her. The fire she wielded burned ever hotter as she thought of the dormant Sailor Scout. No one deserved to be hunted down and killed like an animal because of something they were innocent of. No one.

Angrily she tossed a fireball at a pile of garbage in an alley she passed, causing it to burst into flame. The sight caused her a brief moment of satisfaction, but it subsided quickly. Her frustration caused her to pour on more speed as she ran into the night.

Zoisite would pay for attacking the temple. Her grandfather had almost been killed by flying debris from the fight, and the Sailor Scouts and their shadowy friend had only been able to repair so much. Raye briefly imagined holding Zoisite's head inside the sacred flame, hearing her scream as the flames consumed her. The thought gave her strength, and her conviction let her ignore the fatigue that was beginning to wear on her. Justice would be served tonight, in more ways than one.


	4. The Chemist and the Soldier

Lita and Jason raced through the midnight city, two ethereal forms dashing and weaving through the dark environment. Jason vaulted over a parked car, Lita by his side, her parkour skills nearly flawless. They raced away deeper into the maze of the city as the night flowed around them like water.

After a time, Jason stopped them, telling Lita to rest. The girl sat down on an overturned garbage can, spitting out the soggy toothpick. "So if we're not gonna run right now, how about you tell me some more about these Sailor Scouts."

And so Jason, in as few words as possible, told her the backstory of the Sailor Scouts, the Moon Kingdom, and the Negaverse. He found, to his slight surprise, that it was hard to remember the version that Luna had told the others. Once or twice he almost revealed too much, but he caught himself in time.

Lita whistled when he finished. "That is one seriously weird story, son. If this 'Moon Kingdom' was real, how come we've never found any evidence of it on the Moon?"

"Their desolation was so complete that no trace of them remains."

"Huh. So you used to work them, huh? Wouldn't that make you, like, a thousand years old?"

"Thereabouts."

"How old exactly?"

Jason did a quick calculation in his head. "1,073".

"How does that work?"

"Biological immortality. It was common during the Silver Millenium." Lita whistled again. "All Sailor Scouts are biologically immortal as well."

"So you're saying I could live to be a million years old?"

"If nothing kills you."

"Sweet." A thought crossed Lita's mind. "Hey, which Sailor Scout am I?"

Jason studied her face. He had given a great deal of thought about the other Sailor Scouts, trying to remember their faces. It wasn't easy, but he was able to use the process of elimination. Three of the displaced Scouts were already activated, and he was able to remember Sailor Venus's picture depicting her as having flowing blond hair, so the facial structure and earthy brown hair on Lita would indicate…

"You're Sailor Jupiter."

"Cool. Does that mean I get super strength or something?"

"Sailor Jupiter's primary ability is the power to generate and control electrical current."

"Lightning and the power to charge my phone whenever I need to. Awesome. What's your power?"

Jason said nothing. From behind his mask, his ancient, ageless eyes gazed at Lita without the slightest hint of emotion.

Understanding washed over Lita. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Forget it."

"So, how were you a Justice Champion if you can't… you know…"

"I used to be able to."

"What happened?"

The answer flashed behind Jason's eyes. "It's not important. It happened a long time ago, and there's no reason to worry about it now."

"It sounds like there IS a reason to worry about it. If the Negaverse is as strong as you say it is, the Sailor Scouts need all the help they can get."

"I can still fight."

"How?"

"During my lifetime, I've learned enough to make up for my… disability. I still retain my knowledge of Moon Kingdom science."

"You're into science? Nice. I do some of that on the side, too."

"So you're a fighter, a traceur, AND a scientist."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'scientist'. I can only do one kind of science: chemistry."

"Impressive."

"Thanks! I've always had a thing for chemistry for some reason, it's so weird. Like, check this out." She grabbed a handful of her hair. "I came up with this new anti-friction gel for my hair a few months ago. It reduces friction to almost zero, so I can keep my hair long and not have to worry about someone grabbing it in a fight. Plus-" She ran her fingers through her hair. "It helps my haircut look cool."

"You'll get along well with Sailor Mercury."

Lita produced another toothpick from her pocket and bit down on it. "Well, then. Why are we still here?" She stood up.

"Let's move." Once again, the two dashed away into the night.


	5. Exchanges of Fire

Sailor Mars skidded to halt on the deserted sidewalk, exhausted. Silently she cursed herself for being unable to run longer. Every moment that Zoisite remained unpunished was a moment her mind burned in agony.

As she leaned against a building to catch her breath, movement in the sky caught her attention. Without thinking she slid into cover. Something big landed heavily on the sidewalk where she had been just moments before.

The drone was a tall, vaguely humanoid monster with four long, spindly arms and an ugly face filled with teeth. Its compound eyes surveyed the area, looking for movement. Raye held her breath. The things claws _cracked_ on the concrete as it started walking, searching for its target.

Silently, Raye gathered her concentration and focused her power. Generating heat remotely without projecting fire wasn't easy, but it was possible. The Sailor Scout poured all of her willpower into the concrete below the drone's feet.

At first, the concrete appeared unchanged. Raye continued to pour her power into it. Suddenly the concrete glowed white hot, liquefying instantly. The drone looked down in shock, crying out in pain as it saw its feet sinking into the stone. Before it could fly away Raye pulled the heat back out, hardening the concrete once more. The drone fought to free itself. It didn't notice the Sailor Scout dashing from the shadows.

Sailor Mars slammed into the drone's head, her fist blazing with fire. The drone screamed, thrashing madly. Raye twisted in midair, dodging its blows. Landing on her feet, she raised her hands and engulfed the drone in white flame.

The thing howled in agony. Breaking free of the concrete, it charged her, roaring in anger through the flames. Raye jumped to the left, coming up in a crouch and firing again. The drone swung around. Raye jumped straight up, giving herself a boost with her powers.

Jason had shown her how to release small bursts of concentrated flame that let her maneuver in midair. It wasn't enough to give her flight, but it did let her perform previously-impossible moves in combat. Combined with the enhanced physical attributes of Sailor Scouts, it was a deadly talent. Raye had struggled with it at first, but now it was second nature to her.

Raye front-flipped over the drone, blasting it with twin fire beams of fire as she sailed over its head. The smell of cooked meat filled the air. Raye landed, pivoted on one foot, and fired a flurry of dagger-like bursts into the creature.

The drone lunged for her. Raye leapt backwards and up. Igniting her propulsion flames, she shot downward, crashing into the drone's head. As she did, she unleashed a widespread stream of fire, melting the asphalt. The drone's head crunched and sank into the boiling black liquid. Before it could recover, Raye pulled the heat back out, solidifying the ground. The monster thrashed and fought, but it was too weak to pull itself free. Raye delivered a swift kick to its neck. A _crack_ broke the night, and the drone lay still.

Raye doubled over, panting from exhaustion. Looking up, she noticed a few of the city's inhabitants had come out of their homes to watch the fight. Some were even recording her on their phones. As she watched, a voice began applauding and cheering her. He was quickly joined by the others.

Straightening, she gave them a quick salute and flashed them a confident smile. Then she turned and ran away into the city, her bloodlust satisfied. For the moment.

###

Tuxedo Mask was one with the night, effortlessly flowing through the darkened landscape. Watching him, Serena didn't notice the fatigue tugging at her limbs, or the sweat pouring down her forehead. There was no Negaverse, no Moon Kingdom, no world hanging in the balance. There was only her, and the perfect, ethereal being beside her.

"Come on, come on, answer the bloody phone," Luna growled as they ran. Jason had been silent before, but this was ridiculous. She doubted he would ignore her just to establish boundaries, but there was no telling what went through the mind of one such as Jason.

Tuxedo Mask held up a hand. Sailor Moon skidded to a halt a few feet ahead of him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows, cupping his hand over her mouth.

Above them, barely visible in the night sky, was a drone. The metallic creature surveyed the landscape below it. It dropped into a lower patrol pattern, its hunt intensifying. Serena felt her pulse go up, and it wasn't because she was in the embrace of the man of her dreams.

From within his coat Tuxedo Mask drew a rose. "When I give the word," he whispered in Serena's ear. "Use your sonic scream and focus it there." He pointed. Serena nodded.

Leaning out of cover, Tuxedo Mask launched the rose with a flick of his wrist. The deadly projectile sailed silently through the air, vanishing in the darkness of a small deserted building. A moment later, Serena heard a loud crash as the rose collided with glass.

The drone whirled about, searching for the cause of the noise. It drifted lower, its oversized head swiveling, sweeping the shadows. Serena sank lower. Tuxedo Mask quietly pulled his black cape over her.

After a moment, the drone turned toward the building. Its clawed feet touched down, and it cautiously stalked inside. As it melted into the shadows, Tuxedo Mask whispered in her ear. "Now."

"!"

The drone shrieked in surprise as the sonic scream blasted into the weakest point of the abandoned building. Before it could react, the structure collapsed. Its last scream died away as the dust settled. The otherworldly thing twitched and lay still, buried under a mountain of concrete and metal.

"Good work, Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask stood up and strode toward the wreckage.

"Thanks! Who knew I could level buildings?" Serena said happily.

"An object is only as strong as its weakest point." Tuxedo Mask smoothly climbed to the top of the rubble. With one perfectly shined black shoe he kicked aside a chunk of concrete, revealing a part of the drone. He knelt and touched it.

For a moment he didn't move. Serena watched him curiously. "Uh… what are you doing?"

"Reading its recent past."

"Psychometry…" Luna realized, joining him where he knelt.

"One of my talents. I can use it to learn the search patterns Zoisite gave the drones when they were activated. It should help us move more easily." He stood up and turned to Sailor Moon. "We should go before someone notices the missing building."


	6. Eyes and Enemies

Sailor Mercury cruised through the skyline. Running toward the edge of the roof, she reached down and crystallized an ice slide below her feet. She lost traction, her inertia carrying her forward. She surfed down the ice onto the roof below and kept running.

Jason's lessons in cryokinesis had proved invaluable. Every time she became Sailor Mercury, Amy found herself effortlessly using every move the old soldier had passed on to her. His knowledge of ice powers made her wonder if he had once possessed cryokinesis as well. The old Justice Champion name "Lightstorm" seemed to suggest otherwise, but how else could he know so much?

Once again she tried his number. No answer. The phone wasn't even ringing. Amy hung up and kept going.

Suddenly something caught her eye. She swung down to her left, landing squarely on solid concrete. Her visor analyzed her surroundings. The boxed-in area was a secure location for a wireless tower.

An idea entered Amy's mind. She removed a panel on the tower, exposing a myriad of circuitry. With her ice powers she formed a set of tools. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked, recalling everything she had learned about electronics.

After a few minutes, the modification was complete. Amy made sure she couldn't be seen. Then she sat down and accessed the tower with her visor.

Ordinary hackers could perform incredible feats given enough time. But ordinary hackers didn't have access to Moon Kingdom technology. Within seconds, Amy was searching through every piece of sensing technology in the city. Every camera, every microphone, every device designed to track people suddenly became a single unified machine, brought into existence for a single purpose: to find the mysterious girl destined to become an activated Sailor Scout.

###

Lita ran up a low wall and vaulted over. The concrete thudded under her feet as she hit the ground and kept running. At her right, her companion matched her pace.

Jason cast a wary eye to the sky as they continued their midnight race. Earlier he had spotted movement in the sky. Concluding the enemy had begun searching for them, he pointed it out to Lita. The girl had coolly looked into the blackness above, looked back, and asked for a weapon. Jason had passed her his combat knife.

"So what's the deal with this Zoisite thing?" Lita asked as they traced. Jason mentally noted that her respiratory and circulatory systems were highly efficient; she could talk even while tracing.

"Zoisite is a specialized Negaverse agent currently under the command of Queen Beryl," Jason explained, wallrunning to avoid some garbage. "The creature is composed of one mind controlling two bodies, one male and one female. When I fought it many years ago, I killed its third body. Now it wants revenge."

Lita thought for a second and grinned. "Hey, if Zoisite's bodies make out with each other, does it count as-"

"Get down," Jason ordered. Lita took cover. Jason ran up a wall and hid in the shadow of a broken sign.

Ahead of them, crouching in the alley under a flickering light, was a drone. The muscle-bound creature had its back to them, but wet crunching noises could be heard coming from in front of it. As Jason watched, it reached out of site and pulled a human-sized cocoon in front of it. With a nasty noise that sounded disturbingly like "Tasty meatbags", it bit into the cocoon, spraying blood everywhere. Jason realized it was eating people while Zoisite wasn't yelling at it to work.

Looking down, his sharp vision saw Lita's eyes gleaming in the shadows. The girl wore a curious expression on her face. Jason knew the look well: it was the very look he had worn so often many years ago.

Lita's grip tightened on the knife. Her face hardened into a mask of righteous fury. The energy-suppressing bracelet Jason had given her began to blink a warning light.

The drone paused. It raised its head, sensing that something wasn't right. Lita began stalking forward through the darkness, knife poised to strike. The drone stood up and looked around, unsure of what was wrong.

Jason knew Lita wasn't thinking straight. He, too, despised the slaughter of innocents, but there were priorities. Sailor Jupiter had to be activated as soon as possible. But as the drone crept closer to where Lita crouched in the shadows, Jason could feel her chances of survival dropping by the second. The drone was inches from Lita now. Jason reached into his utility belt.

A dense cloud of smoke erupted in front of the drone. Lita lunged forward and jammed the knife into the drone's eye.

The drone recoiled violently, screaming in pain. Lita rolled away as Jason leapt down from his perch. His staff slammed into the drone's neck, causing a loud cracking sound. The thing twisted around. Jason grappled away before it could grab him.

Lita traced around behind the drone and ran up to its hulking form. She grabbed its neck and drove the knife into the monster's throat. Blood gushed out. Lita lost her grip and fell to the ground, scrambling to get away. The monster whirled on her.

A grappling barb embedded itself in the monster's flesh. From a rooftop Jason reeled it in with all his strength. The monster fought back, giving Lita enough time to move in for another attack.

The girl stabbed the drone. The monster's head twisted. Thick, ropy webbing spewed from its mandibles, causing Lita to turn to avoid it. The drone's arm swung at her, raking her side with its claws and knocking her away. Jason reached for a shuriken with his free hand.

Lita sprang back to her feet and whirled on the drone. Energy surged through her body as she felt her rage boiling over. Sparks began to flash around her. Fire coursed through her veins. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw a blazing crescent burst into existence on Lita's forehead. The girl charged the struggling monster in a blind fury.

Her fist slammed into the drone's jaw, driving it back. The knife blazed as she slashed at the monster, opening deep gashed in its body. Seeing her attack, Jason mentally retracted some of the barbs on the grapple gauntlets tip in the drone's body. The barb tore away from the drone, ripping opening an artery.

Lita pressed the attack. Jason jumped down from the roof, tracing his way down into the alley. He vaulted onto the drone's back. With his free hand he jammed one of his explosive boomerangs into its gaping neck wound. Before it could attack him, he vaulted away with his staff. As he did, he threw an explosive shuriken at the boomerang.

The explosion erupted throughout the alley. Jason came up in a crouch, feeling the heat and the force of the concussion through his body armor. He mentally noted that the sound-dampening weave he had installed in his mask had worked perfectly. Standing up, he glanced around for Lita.

Lita had had the good sense to dive for cover when she saw the explosive attached to the boomerang. She stood up from behind an overturned dumpster, taking her hands down from her ears. "Well, that was fun."

Jason ignored that. "Your anger caused your energy fluctuations to spike. Zoisite and the other drones will be here any second."

Lita made a face. "Crap."

"Run."


	7. Beacon

Amy peered through the eyes of the city, searching through the endless torrent of information for a tiny speck of data. The girl was proving to be far more difficult to locate than she had expected, and Jason was no better. She had taken a moment to track his phone to see where he was, but she couldn't find it. Either the man had taken extreme precautions not to be found, or something had gone horribly wrong.

As she searched, something caught her attention. She backtracked through the data stream and played back the last few seconds. There. An electromagnetic disturbance. As Amy watched, a camera caught the bright flash of a dense explosion just out of view. There was no doubt: the girl had been found by Jason, and they were facing something nasty.

Amy tracked their location. Immediately she transmitted their coordinates to the others. Without waiting for a response, she disconnected and rushed off into the city. The girl and the soldier were miles away. Amy poured every ounce of energy she had into her speed, not bothering to consider what would happen if she didn't get there in time.

###

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask paused to rest on a deserted rooftop. Tuxedo Mask looked out over the city, his inscrutable eyes scanning the cityscape laid out before them. Sailor Moon doubled over, panting heavily. "Boy, you never realize just how big this place is until you run around in it for a few hours," she commented when she could talk.

Luna made a mental note to talk to Jason about taking the Sailor Scouts for some running drills. Scout stamina greater than that of humans, but it had its limits. Running around the metropolitan area in the middle of the night had drained Serena of most of her energy, even with Tuxedo Mask by her side.

Their midnight run hadn't proven entirely fruitless. Using the knowledge Tuxedo Mask had gained by scanning the slain drone greatly aided them in navigating the metropolis. Apparently growing frustrated as the hours ticked by, the hero had reasoned that if they couldn't locate the Scout on their own, the least they could do is thin the skies.

Drone after drone fell before them as they intercepted the monsters with the stolen search patterns. Tuxedo Mask told Sailor Moon to be thankful that Zoisite had apparently been in too much of a hurry to swipe the communication encryption code from the Negaverse armory, or else the drones might have communicated and warned each other. Because of the oversight, the skies slowly cleared as the drone were brought down one by one. The pair had just killed another.

Luna's collar beeped. The cat turned away and listened for a moment. Serena's phone bleeped in her pocket. She checked the messages. Amy had found the Scout.

Serena relayed the location to Tuxedo Mask, forgetting her fatigue. Behind his disguise, the hero's brow furrowed. "That's quite a ways from here. We'll have to move quickly." With that, he gracefully turned and vaulted over the edge. Serena ran after him. Luna followed, ignoring the aching in her paws that was getting too familiar.

###

Raye sped through the back alleys of the city, not bothering to slow down even to turn. She summoned her powers and melted through a wire fence in her path. The liquid metal splashed harmlessly against her skin as she ducked through the hole and kept running.

The night hadn't improved her temper. She had hoped killing the drone would make her feel better, but it hadn't lasted. About an hour afterward she had chanced upon a mugging in progress. Frying the mugger to a crisp had been mildly entertaining, but it only made her want to face Zoisite even more.

Bored of running around with no sign of the Scout, Raye had climbed to the top of the tallest building in her vicinity and started making noise. She fired her powers off in random directions, hoping to catch the attention of either Zoisite or one of the drones. In hindsight, she imagined she looked rather childish doing it, but she didn't care. Zoisite had attacked her home and her family, a crime that she swore would not go unpunished.

Oddly enough, Zoisite had shown up after a half hour of her attention-getting performance. Raye challenged Zoisite to come down from the sky and fight her, but Zoisite merely laughed and mocked her for being unable to fly. Angered, Raye blasted fire at her. Zoisite dodged her efforts with ease, continuing to laugh. Between chuckles she mocked Raye for not having the other Sailor Scouts around to back her up. Upon hearing Raye's taunt about being afraid to fight a lone Sailor Scout, Zoisite casually mentioned that Sailor Mars wasn't worth wasting her powers on. Savoring the look on Raye's face, Zoisite threw some garbage at her and told her to try again when she posed a threat.

The thought of it still burned Raye to the core. She channeled her anger and hatred into more speed, but she still hadn't found anything. Even now, she could hear Zoisite's mocking laugh echoing in her ears.

A soft beep interrupted her thoughts. She ducked into an alley and, after making sure she was alone, reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The text from Amy revealed the current location of the Scout. Putting the phone away, Sailor Mars dashed out of the alley and onto the road. Summoning her willpower, she blasted a massive jet of flame behind her, propelling her at speeds no human could hope to match. She blazed away into the night, leaving nothing but a few awestruck pedestrians in her wake.

###

Zoisite surveyed the remains of the drone, deep in thought. This complicated matters. He ran his fingers through his hair, considering his next move.

The drones weren't especially smart, but Zoisite had hoped that they would have the brains not to engage Sailor Scouts unless absolutely necessary. Mocking Mars had been fun, but ultimately useless, and now it seemed the other Scouts were picking off the drones one by one. At the very least, however, they didn't seem to be standing together as a team for the moment.

Zoisite cursed himself for forgetting the communication key. Returning to get it without a dead dormant Sailor Scout would mean trouble, and he was in no mood to get a verbal beatdown from Beryl. Having two bodies made him valuable, but far from irreplaceable.

Something vibrated in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his scanner. Elsewhere in the metropolis, another energy surge was erupting. Grinning, he put the scanner back in his pocket and soared back into the sky. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so dismal after all.

###

A lone figure stood atop a skyscraper, surveying the city below. Her long hair blew in the wind, backlighting nicely against the lights of the metropolis. But none of that mattered as she contemplated a new search pattern.

Her companion joined her. "I just felt another surge," he told her quietly. "We need to leave. Now." He imparted the location to her.

She nodded. Her companion grabbed onto her, and she held him tight. Making sure he was secure, she calmly stepped off the edge of the skyscraper.

The feeling of weightlessness rushed through her, exploding her system with adrenalin. The wind blew her sideways, adding to the thrill. After a second, she extended her hand. A chain coalesced in her grip, firing outwards. The chain latched onto a surface. The girl swung forward, firing another chain. She swung away through the skyline, throwing back her head and laughing. Some things stop being fun after awhile, but this wasn't one of them.


	8. TAGless

Jason and Lita raced through an endless maze of twisting shadows and flickering lights. Exhaustion was beginning to wash over his body after hours of parkour, but he ignored it. Remembering Lita, he pushed himself all the harder and rushed through the night.

Drones had descended on the area like zombies on a fresh kill. In such great numbers, speed became as important as stealth in evading them. Lita's bracelet couldn't hide her fluctuations perfectly, and one of the drones was bound to detect her sooner or later. Now the most important task was to get Lita out of the infested zone.

The girl's stamina was incredible, but it was finite. Sweat poured from her skin, glistening in the dim light. Her breath started coming in ragged panting, unpleasantly louder than Jason would have liked. Angrily he traced over an overturned dumpster and kept going.

A drone flew overhead. Lita rolled into cover instantly. Jason crouched down in the shadows. As soon as the drone was gone, Jason signaled Lita to move. The girl didn't get up. Instead she stayed down, panting heavily. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and spit out her toothpick. "It's only fun when you're not being hunted," she said between breaths.

"Quiet," Jason ordered, sliding next to her in cover. "Breathe."

Gradually, Lita's breathing slowed and her pulse returned to normal. The minutes crawled by. Jason could hear crashing coming from a nearby lot that sounded like drones overturning cars. One of them growled loudly in frustration and seemed to be stalking their way.

"We need to move," Jason said quietly.

"Okay, I'm good." Lita glanced back the way they had come. The noises were getting louder. Reaching down, she jammed another toothpick in her mouth. "Think you can keep up?"

"I'll stay slow enough to follow."

Once more, the two broke into a run. Meters melted beneath their feet as they vaulted, wallran, and rolled through the twisting urban environment. Jason's heart pounded in his ears, and he wondered just how much longer he could keep running.

As they rounded a corner, Lita's foot struck an empty glass bottle, sending it flying. It shattered against the wall, breaking the night. Above them, a concealed drone turned around and looked down at them. Jason looked up. Their eyes met.

"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The drone's earsplitting roar echoed off the buildings. It leaped down from its vantage point, shaking the ground as it impacted the pavement.

"RUN!"

Jason turned to face the drone, hoping to buy Lita some time. He threw a smoke pellet in front of the monster, deploying his staff his staff as he charged it head-on. The staff sailed through the air, colliding with the monster's skull inside the smoke cloud.

Lita adjusted her grip on the knife. She knew the smart thing to do, but she couldn't abandon Jason, not after tonight. Her teeth bit down on her toothpick and she ran in, knowing it was idiotic.

Something swept her legs out from under her. Instinctively her hand went behind her head before she hit the pavement. The impact knocked the breath out of her. The knife went flying from her grip.

A drone picked her up, holding her tight in its grip. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jason's drone throw him against a wall, stunning him. The thing knocked away his staff and picked him up, immobilizing him.

"Enjoying ourselves?" Lita looked up. Zoisite descended from the darkened sky, a crooked smile on both its faces. The male body turned and studied Lita as the remaining drones took up positions around them, the dim light gleaming off their jagged edges. "So you're the dormant Sailor Scout," he said, smiling unpleasantly. "I'm Zoisite, your host and executioner for this evening." He punched Lita in the gut. "Before I kill you, I want to see something." He signaled the drone holding Lita forward.

The female body picked up Jason's staff. She walked over to where the fallen hero was being held. "I want you to look at the face of the man you put your trust in," she declared. Reaching up, she grabbed Jason's mask and wrenched it from his head, exposing his face.

Jason glared defiantly back at Zoisite.

"I really liked that body you killed," Zoisite told him, no amusement in her eyes.

"Next time I kill one, I'll ask for your input," Jason spat back.

Zoisite retracted his staff to the length of a baton and hit him with it. Jason felt several teeth loosen and his jaw dislocate from the impact. Blood filled his mouth. Zoisite pressed the baton to his throat, almost crushing his trachea. "If I could, I'd throw you into the Howling and listen to you scream for all eternity. It's still better than what you deserve."

"Let him go, you telepathic freak!" Lita shouted defiantly. The male body punched her.

"Killing you wouldn't be satisfying unless I made you suffer first," the female body continued, undeterred. The male body retrieved the fallen knife. "Before I tear apart your body, let's see what happens when I do this." Zoisite carved a gash in Lita's upper chest. The girl screamed in pain. Energy began to erupt from her body as Zoisite drove the knife deeper. The crescent symbol appeared on her forehead again.

"If you think that's painful, wait until I work my way up to the face," Zoisite told her calmly. The female body grabbed Jason's head and turned it, forcing him to watch. "You could have saved her, Jason," she hissed. "If only you still had your powers."

Zoisite made another cut. Lita screamed louder. Blood poured from her wounds. Zoisite licked the made, relishing the iron taste.

"How does it feel, you abomination?" Zoisite demanded. "Knowing that you could have saved an innocent life so easily in your glory days, and watching her die because you can't perform the simplest feat in the world!"

Lita's lungs were empty, but she couldn't stop screaming. The pain consumed her, eliminating all thought and emotion and being. Her body convulsed disgustingly, trying in vain to get away from the knife. But the drone held her in its unbreakable grip.

"How many more will die because of your failure?" Zoisite yelled. Jason did not reply. He couldn't.

Lita felt her body exploding. The pain burned through her mind. The energy blasted forth from her body uncontrollably. Amid the chaos that ravaged her mind she saw the male body pass the knife to the female body, and all eyes turn to them to savor the long-awaited moment. She raised the bloody blade to Jason's face.

"LEAVE… HIM… ALONE!"

Lita exploded in a blast of dense white energy. Lightning cascaded through her body, filling her with the energy of a thousand thunderstorms. Her body was consumed by a sensation of indescribable ecstasy, overloading her senses with power. Energy crashed and roared throughout her being, restructuring her physical form into something else and sealing her wounds. The detonation blasted away the drone that was holding her, freeing her.

Zoisite and the drones whirled around in surprise to look at Lita. But Lita was no more.

In her place stood Sailor Jupiter.


	9. Smashdown

Thunder crashed and rolled through the city. Lightning bolts shot out from Lita's body, blasting chaotically as her body calibrated its Combat Mode for the first time. She fought to contain the vortex of energy exploding out of her, but the raw power of a calibrating Sailor Scout was too great for her.

"KILL HER!" Zoisite screamed.

Jason concentrated. Energy flashed across his skin, stinging the drone holding him. The drone recoiled in pain, releasing him. Jason whipped around, throwing a shuriken into the monster's eye. The thing stumbled back, howling in agony.

Jason tackled Zoisite amid the chaos. Zoisite fought back, but Jason managed to wrestle his baton from her grasp. Cracking her across the face, he pulled his mask from her other hand. Before she could recover he grappled away onto a rooftop, hiding his face as best he could. He dived onto cover. Relief rushed through his head as he popped his jaw back into place. Then he pulled his mask back over his head.

Lita seemed to be coming down from her calibration. Using her newfound speed and stamina, she was fighting bravely against Zoisite's forces. The explosion seemed to have stunned most of them, but they were recovering. Extending his staff, Jason grappled back down into the fight.

Shurikens slashed through drones, burning them. Jason sped through the battle, moving and twisting with its ebb and flow, striking down drones with his weapon. Impaling one through the eye, he stepped to the side and pulled, throwing the creature off balance. He cracked its head with his staff.

Lita blasted the drones with her lightning, expertly maneuvering through the chaos. Drones soared into the skies, trying to attack her from above. Lita ran into cover, firing lightning from both her hands. But no matter how many times she shot, they kept getting up, and more were beginning to stir.

Zoisite forced herself to her feet. Her male body was still unconscious from the explosion, but she powered through it. Pain coursed through her body, telling her she was too weak to take flight. Angrily she grabbed up the knife. She spotted Jason in the midst of the fight, moving so fast he was little more than a blur. Summoning her energy, she

An orange beam crashed down from the sky, slamming Zoisite into the pavement. Chains wrapped around her stunned form. Before she could react, the chains flung her through the air, sending her crashing through a brick wall into an abandoned building.

Out of the darkened sky plunged a bright orange Sailor Scout. The girl fired her energy beam, knocking a drone away from Lita. She swung her chain, cleaving open a gigantic wound on another drone. Summoning another chain, she tore the drone apart in a burst of sparks and blood.

Jason grappled and vaulted onto a flying drone. Jamming his other boomerang into the salces behind its head, he back flipped off the creature, throwing a shuriken with expert precision. The explosion tore the monster's head off, sending it crashing down. As he landed with skill exceeding that of an Olympic gymnast, the new Sailor Scout caught his eye. There was only one person it could be.

The Scout weaved through the battle, a blur of chains and energy blasts. She ducked underneath a drone, firing her beam into it with all her strength. The monster flew up into the air helplessly. Before it could recover, Lita blasted it with a lightning bolt.

More drones began to stir. Screeching noises pierced the air. The monsters began to rise. Zoisite's male body shook himself back to awareness. Through blurred eyes he saw the drones closing in around his enemies. Although pain shot through his body, he forced himself to smile. It was oddly amusing to see the Mistake try to fight without his powers. But… was that a new Sailor Scout fighting beside Sailor Jupiter?

A roaring sound interrupted his thoughts. Sailor Mars rocketed over the rooftops, half her body blazing with fire. She changed direction in midair and shot down toward Zoisite. Before Zoisite could react, Mars slammed her burning fist into his face, sending him crashing into the ground. Raising both hands, the vengeful Sailor Scout unleashed twin jets of flame. Zoisite screamed.

The female body soared out of the abandoned building. Her fist impacted Sailor Mars' head. Not bothering to watch the Sailor Scout go flying, Zoisite reached down and helped up her male body. Blackened skin crumbled from him as he stood, and the ash from his clothes fell from his marred body. But he was far from dead.

Fire engulfed Zoisite. Sailor Mars' head was bleeding and some of her skin had been sheared off, but vengeance took away the pain. Zoisite flew into the sky. The two bodies surged down, attacking as one. Mars rocketed to the side, twisting with the recoil of her flames. Her rocket-propelled punch struck the face of one body, sending it flying into the other. The two crashed in a tangled heap.

One body recovered. Mars moved in. Zoisite swung a left. Mars dodged, uppercutting Zoisite with a flaming fist. She followed with a punch to the gut. Zoisite stumbled back. Mars kicked her in the chest. The male body tackled Mars. Mars flipped him over her and blasted him with a jet of flame. She rolled up to meet the female body's attack.

Lita traced her way through the battle using her newfound speed and agility. Lightning bolts crashed from her hands, growing quieter with each attack as her powers continued to calibrate. Thunder blasted through the area, bouncing off the hard surfaces surrounding the battle.

Amid the chaos, one of the damaged drones forced itself to its feet. Its weapon was damaged, but most of its claws were intact. Its intact eye swept the battlefield. Eventually its gaze settled on the orange Sailor Scout. The drone growled deep in its throat, the monster tensed every muscle in its body and charged.

Suddenly a gigantic ice spear slashed through its skull, destroying its brain. Sailor Mercury swooped in on an ice slide, freezing two more drones. The orange Scout shattered them with her energy beam. Mercury landed perfectly, covering the Scout's back and firing her ice beams once more.

Jason vaulted over a drone, lodging a grappling barb in its eye. He landed, pulling the injured beast off balance. Its knee snapped as he struck the joint with his staff, sending it to its knees. Jason dodged another drone, throwing a shuriken into its elbow joint. The beast roared.

A third drone picked him up from behind. Before Jason could strike it, the monster threw him through the air, sending him crashing into a blank billboard on a nearby rooftop. Jason's armor protected him from most of the impact, but not all. Stunned, he tumbled to a halt, semiconscious.

He knew not how long he lay in the rubble. The next thing he felt was a soft pressure on one of his eyes. Someone was prodding him back to awareness.

"Hey, are you okay?" a male voice asked him.

Jason's eyes flew open. Standing next to his head was a large white cat. On his forehead was a crescent moon symbol not unlike Luna's.

"I had hoped I'd never see you again…" Jason hissed, his eyes narrowing.

The cat stiffened, his eyes widening in surprise and anger. "Jason…"

"Hello, Artemis." Jason leapt to his feet. Without saying another word, he ran along the roof and grappled back down into the battle.

Lita was beginning to tire. Lightning bolts blasted from her palms as she leapt and wove through the battle, never staying still for an instant. The orange Scout whipped a chain into a drone that was about to strike her, severing its arm. Lita finished it off with a lightning bolt.

Mercury sped through the chaos, slashing and hacking at drones with twin ice swords. Blood gushed and limbs fell as she cut her enemies asunder. Impaling a large drone, she froze its legs as she zipped past. The monster's limbs exploded as Jason dived by, striking them with his staff.

A sonic scream broke the din. Out of the sky dove Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, riding a crude frame of metal. Tuxedo Mask had quickly repurposed the propulsion units of several drones into a makeshift vehicle, allowing him to quickly cross the city with Sailor Moon and Luna.

Tuxedo Mask landed the frame away from the battle. Sailor Moon and Luna leapt out. "Come, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask cried theatrically. With a sweep of his cape he drew a razor-sharp rose and dashed forward into the battle. Sailor Moon pulled off her tiara, activating the deadly ring of energy before following him.

The orange Scout swung overhead, blasting drones with her energy beams. Lita moved with the speed of the lightning she unleashed on her foes. Mercury slid and dashed through the melee, slashing and cutting her opponents with ease. The master of combat known as Jason fending off a massive drone with only his gauntlets and staff, having run out of shurikens.

Leaping into the fight, Tuxedo Mask threw his rose, slashing open the throat of a drone. Raising his hand, he extended his cane, piercing the wound and severing the monster's spinal cord. The drone collapsed. He leapt over it and kept going.

Sailor Moon sucked in a lungful of air.

"!"

The scream shattered three drones Mercury had frozen solid. Moon threw her tiara. The weapon struck a monster, disintegrating the weakened beast. Another scream knocked back a fifth drone, giving the orange Scout time to cleave it in half with her chains.

"GET DOWN!" Summoning all her strength, Lita unleashed a massive blast of lightning bolts, vaporizing the drones nearest to her. The surge of energy knocked out the rest.

Only one drone remained. Everyone turned to face it where it struggled to rise with a broken leg. Sailor Moon screamed and threw her tiara. Mercury fired her ice beam. Jupiter cast a lightning bolt. Tuxedo Mask threw a handful of razor roses. The orange Scout fired her energy beams.

The drone exploded in a burst of energy.

It was over.

Silence descended on the world.

Sailor Mars trudged into view. Her fists were covered in burned blood. Her uniform was torn and dirty. Wounds bled profusely, and she seemed to be limping slightly. But the fire was not gone from her eyes.

A short distance away, Jason stood calmly atop the corpse of the drone he had been fighting. No one said a word.

Sailor Jupiter looked around. Then she looked down at herself, noticing the Sailor Scout uniform for the first time. "Um… has anyone seen my pants?"


	10. Aftermath

The eastern sky was lightening. The sun broke over the horizon, its gentle light shining in through the windows of Jason's base. The light stung Lita's eyes, and she looked away.

Jason waved his backup scanner over her. Satisfied, he turned it off and put it down. "You are now fully calibrated," he informed Lita. "Your sonic dampening ability is fully active along with the rest of your secondary abilities."

Luna sat atop a nearby workbench. "Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable," she mused. "Sailor Jupiter, you are the first Sailor Scout to ever transform without the aid of a Transformation Assistance Generator. Few Justice Champions ever achieved such a feat, and even fewer managed to transform without ever having needed one. You should be very proud of yourself."

"Thanks." Lita smiled before looking back down at her Combat Mode. "Not very protective, is it?"

"The people of the Silver Millennium Moon Kingdom always preferred aesthetics first and performance second," Jason told her. "But your durability and speed will increase over time. They will compliment your fighting skills well." Luna's eyes widened slightly at the high praised from the old warrior.

Jason showed Lita how to revert to her Ground State. At his gesture, they walked over to another area of the base, where the other Sailor Scouts were getting to know the new Scout."

The new Scout's designation, as it turned out, was Sailor Venus. In her Combat Mode, she wielded high-energy impact beams as her primary weapon. She could also generate and control nigh-unbreakable energized chains, which she could then use to whip the enemy into submission. The chains also enabled her to swing through the landscape of the city, reducing travel time.

In her Ground State, the Scout's name was Mina. As it turned out, she had been activated several years ago by the talking cat known as Artemis, who had filled her in on the Moon Kingdom's backstory. Ever since her activation, Mina had been silently and invisibly monitoring the Anomaly, defending it from Negaverse forces, unseen by all. But now, it seemed, Negaverse was becoming more active and more aggressive in its operations. Nevertheless, Mina seemed to find it encouraging that there were four more Sailor Scouts now active. They got along quite nicely for people who had just met.

Lita took her place with the others. Luna looked around at the group. "That's it. We've activated every temporally-displaced Sailor Scout. At last we're truly ready to face the Negaverse."

"If one Sailor Scout could pose a threat to them, imagine what of group of five can do," Amy commented.

"Now we can divide our forces and attack them in different locations at once," Mina said. "I've gotta say, it's great to have backup."

Serena looked at her friends. "These are all the Scouts we get?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I dunno, I just thought there'd be more."

"These are all Scouts that were sent here by the Emergency Temporal Shift," Artemis explained. "There just aren't any more to activate."

"Really? Not even a Sailor Earth?"

"There is no Sailor Earth," Luna broke in. She could feel Jason's eyes on her, but she ignored it. "Earth was a special case, and didn't have its own Sailor Scout during the Silver Millenium."

"Uh, guys, we should probably head home before someone notices we're gone," Lita said, indicating the rising sun. The rest of the Scouts agreed, and began to leave. Serena stretched and yawned, her fatigue finally catching up with her. Jason walked away and began taking off his armor and weapons. As Artemis passed Luna on his way out the door, he hissed out of the side of his mouth, "We need to talk."

###

Queen Beryl coldly stared down at Zoisite from her throne, not saying a word. Zoisite sweated slightly despite the low temperature of the throne room. Its knees were beginning to ache, but it remained motionless without complaint.

After being badly beaten by Sailor Mars, Zoisite had transferred back into the Negaverse out of fear for its life. Upon returning, it had been immediately seized and hauled into the throne room by Beryl's guards. Zoisite had kneeled down on the cold, hard floor and waited for the Queen to speak. But she hadn't.

This was one of Beryl's tactics. When she summoned someone who had badly displeased her, she said nothing. The offending party would be forced to kneel on the floor in silence, sometimes for as long as several hours while waiting for the Queen to speak and give permission to rise. This served two purposes: it gave Beryl time to think of something especially nasty to do to the unfortunate soul who had incurred her wrath, and it gave the victim time to think on their mistakes, stewing in their own fear and regret.

At last Beryl spoke. "My memory must be failing me, Zoisite. I seemed to remember entrusting this task to a competent warrior of the Negaverse, not a thief and a failure."

"Forgiveness, Supreme One," Zoisite implored.

"Why should I forgive the miserable wretch I commanded to kill the Sailor Scouts instead of accelerating their activation?"

"I was… unprepared for their proficiency in battle, Your Grace. All of our intelligence indicated that the Emergency Temporal Shift would reset their skills and power levels."

"Do not blame others for your incompetence," Beryl seethed. "Even after you stole from my personal armory, it seems you weren't even smart enough to ask for my permission first, let alone get the drones to work properly."

"I did not wish to appear unable to perform my task, my queen."

"You did more than that when you managed to lose an entire squadron of my personal drones to a group of barely-trained Sailor Scouts and their pets." Zoisite hung both heads in a silent apology. "At least you managed to break the Scout's Deceptor, surely, and now you can identify her in her Ground State."

Zoisite shifted uncomfortably. "Highness… I wasn't looking when she transformed."

Beryl hissed some air out through her nose. "All the more reason why I should have you flayed alive this very moment."

"Supreme One, I now know their tactics and skills. If I am allowed one more chance-"

"To do what? You already allowed a Sailor Scout to activate while you held her because you let your vendetta get in the way of fulfilling your duty. It would have taken less than a second to kill her and that powerless fool, but apparently indulging your bloodlust is more important than-" Beryl looked up. "Jadeite! I did not summon you!"

The tall Negaverse agent strode out of the shadows, a sly smile on his face. "Sincerest apologies, Your Grace. I wasn't aware that you now allowed rats to speak to you in such tones." Behind his back, Zoisite's male body gave Jadeite the finger.

"I will summon you when I next require your services. Now begone!"

"As Her Majesty commands." Jadeite turned to go. As he did, he "accidentally" allowed the flap of his pocket to slip, revealing a glowing crystal inside.

"Wait! What is that is your coat?" the queen demanded.

Jadeite pulled out the crystal. "Oh, just the energy I retrieved from my plan involving the human temple. The Sailor Scouts believed they wrenched it from my possession, but they only reclaimed a small portion of my reserve."

The queen regarded him coolly. "So it seems not all of you are miserable incompetents masquerading as Negaverse agents." At her beckoning, Jadeite handed her the crystal. She regarded it. "It will do for now, but perhaps you could collect more if you had some… help."

Zoisite felt a chill race through both bodies. An unpleasant smile was spreading across the Queen's lips. "Supreme One, I-"

"Perhaps I was mistaken, Zoisite. Killing the Sailor Scouts is inconsequential if we can avoid their detection. Aside from a few brainless drones, Jadeite has had no one to assist him in his duties. Perhaps remedying that will prove more useful."

"Your Grace-"

"Consider this my apology for wasting your talents, Zoisite," the queen said, a dangerously light tone creeping into her voice. "I know how much you've wanted the job of energy collection, and I see now I was wrong to deny you your requests." She thought for a moment. "But you are unfamiliar with the finer points of energy-gathering procedures. You will need someone to instruct you." She stood up. "From this moment on, you will answer to Jadeite, and obey every order he gives you. Be thankful for this opportunity to serve your queen."

"Her Majesty is too kind," Jadeite said, bowing respectfully. "If it pleases Your Grace, I would like to begin preparing for my next mission." Beryl dismissed him with a wave of her hand. As Jadeite passed Zoisite on his way out, he clapped her on a shoulder he knew was dislocated. "When you've scraped the dirt from your skin, fetch me a chalice of wine. My service to Her Majesty has made me thirsty." Then, with his head held high and a smug smile on his face, he swept from the throne room and was gone.

**The battle continues in Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1 Episode 6: Conflicts of Interest**


End file.
